Confessions of a New Mom

If you are a new mom, I would bet that many of these confessions ring true for you, just as they have for me (or if not, just tell me they do so I don’t feel alone in this haha!). Although these confessions can be embarrassing to admit, they are just part of what makes motherhood unique and special, even if at times I don’t fully appreciate them.

I have at times told my one year old to stop acting like a baby when he becomes too whiny (at 15 months he should be more mature right?

My child is not bathed everyday, and many times, neither am I.

I love spending time with my son and enjoy him immensely, but I do secretly feel like performing a happy dance at bedtime too.

Although I love being with my son and miss him terribly when we are apart, I do enjoy going to work and having “adult” time too.

I do dread his pediatrician appointment as I hate watching he cry when he gets vaccinated, but the long term benefits greatly outweigh the slight discomfort we both experience, so I know it is worth it.

When others ask if and when we will have another child, I experience a rush of anxiety as I re-live those first few weeks of extreme fatigue and a constantly screaming baby. I would like him to have a sibling, but I think myself and my husband need a bit more time before we can fully commit to the idea.

As much as I love how independent he is becoming, I do secretly miss him needing me for every little thing as a small infant (although then I think about those first few weeks and get over it!).

I sometimes contemplate moving to Europe where it is acceptable to give children alcohol, as this may help him to sleep – I am only kidding here (sort of!)

I do secretly hate new parents who brag about how well their baby sleeps. But this only comes from a place of extreme fatigue – I am actually happy for you (but still extremely jealous of you and your show-off baby!).

I also secretly hate the happy babies in commercials who love taking baths or are sleeping soundly in their cribs. Again- I don’t actually hate them, I am just slightly jealous of them and why they enjoy these things while my child detests them.

I probably judged new parents before I had my own child on things I cannot remember. I’m sure I probably saw an older toddler with a pacifier and thought to myself they are too old for that. Or saw a child having a temper tantrum and thinking the parents should control that child. I don’t judge any of this anymore. If my child would take a pacifier and it would help him to sleep/calm down/be quiet, you’d bet I would give it to him until he was 12. As new parents, only we know our child the best and you have to do what works best for them. We are all going to make mistakes, but that’s how we learn what works best and what doesn’t. There’s no rule book when it comes to our babies, so just keep working at it and all that matters in the end is that they are happy and healthy!